Topics

1

Off Topic / DeSinc - YouTuber that does some pretty goofy HL2 stuff

« on: August 11, 2015, 11:37:39 PM »

So for the unaware, back in 2007, I was in one of the most popular GMod videos of all time: The Idiots of Garry's Mod and I helped create one of the most memorable skits from The Idiots of Garry's Mod 2, a certain one involving some yabbaing and some icing.

Since then, I feel like GMod/HL2-related videos have been on the decline quality-wise, up until I found this guy a few months ago: DeSinc.

He's been making GMod/HL2 videos for a few years now, and he made a sort of ripoff of The Idiots of Garry's Mod like 5 years or so back called The Gmod Idiot Box Ripoff. But, five months ago, he started making just a series of HL2 videos that are just overall goofy in the style that I feel most post-TIoGM videos lack.

It all started with this video.
Then this one.
And this.
Using glitches and tricks to beat the game

So yeah. Just wanted to share.

2

Off Topic / Recommend me a phone

« on: July 12, 2015, 11:33:49 PM »

Yo, it's been a while, hasn't it?

So here's the basics of why I need a new phone:
My current phone is an HTC One M8, but was damaged after an event occurred (I'll talk about said event at a different time). It sustained quite a bit of damage and, while it powers on and works, strange things will happen with it now such as it losing all signal, dropping bluetooth, sporadic touchscreen events, so on. It's really a shame since I like this phone, but the cost of having it fixed will most likely be the cost of a new phone, so that's what I'm looking at.

Currently I'm looking at the ASUS Zenfone 2 as it looks amazing for the price that it's being sold at, but I just want some other opinions on different phones before I go for it.

The only huge thing that is needed is that it needs to be GSM, as I'm on T-Mobile, so everything there needs to work (including LTE).

3

Help / Recovering my key bought with a (now) invalid e-mail address.

« on: August 05, 2014, 08:47:06 AM »

Is it possible to go about recovering a key that I can't retrieve normally because the e-mail address had to be closed down due to spam issues?

I e-mailed the support e-mail explaining my issue some time back and never got any response, thus why I'm asking here (even though this would more be a question for Badspot/anybody else that could theoretically do something about this). I also can't re-activate the e-mail address as Google doesn't let you do that once it's been closed for a certain amount of time, which has already passed long ago (it's a Gmail account).

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Off Topic / The GNU/Linux Megathread - Questions, Information, Suggestions and Other Talk

« on: August 02, 2014, 08:07:28 PM »

GNU/Linux is a free software operating system created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Widely used for servers and professional workstations, in recent years, the use of the operating system on standard desktops/laptops has started to become much more widespread. For more information, you can visit the Wikipedia article on Linux by clicking here. This thread is here to share your knowledge on the free operating system, ask questions, and even post screenshots and suggestions, and was created because I saw quite a few people using/asking about GNU/Linux.






GNU/Linux comes in many varieties to suit your needs. Some distributions are designed at giving you complete control of your system by allowing you to install only what you want/need and are thus harder to use. However, there also exists distributions designed for ease-of-use.

APT-based
^{Generally easier to use and install.}

Debian - The base of many other distributions, and widely used on servers. Debian aims to be rock solid, stable, and easy to use.
Ubuntu - One of the most widely used in personal computing. Ease of use, multiple flavors and a broad range of software make Ubuntu what it is.
Linux Mint - Another widely used distribution in personal computing. Known for creating Cinnamon and adopting the use of MATE.
Trisquel - A distribution based off of Ubuntu. Unlike the others listed, Trisquel is made of fully free and open source software and offers no proprietary software in their repositories or support for proprietary software.

Pacman-based
^{Harder to install but gives you more control of what software is installed initially. Uses a rolling release model.}

Arch Linux - A lightweight distribution that tries to maintain the KISS principle.
Manjaro - Based off of Arch Linux and designed to be friendlier to beginners.
Parabola - Almost identical to Arch Linux, but like Trisquel, is made of only free and open source software and only offers it in their repositories.

Yum-based
^{Well supported and easy to use.}

Fedora - Aims to be the most innovative distribution. Used by Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux - Widely used commercial distribution derived from Fedora. Very rock solid and stable.
CentOS - A free, enterprise-class distribution that aims to be 100% compatible with Red Hat. Essentially the same, but unlike Red Hat, offers no commercial support. Widely used on servers.
Oracle Linux - A Red Hat based distribution that offers optional commercial support, but is otherwise free to use and deploy.

Portage-based
^{Much harder to use and setup, but offers more control.}

Gentoo - An operating system that's installed by compiling all of the software on your own computer. Typically offers no binaries and only source code.

Source Code Only
^{Only for true installation wizards.}

Linux From Scratch - You start with nothing but documentation. You thought Gentoo was hard to use? Try this and report back.






DE's, or Desktop Environments, offer a complete environment for you to work in. There are many different types to fit your needs.

More Complete/heavyweight
^{Offers almost all of the base software you could need, and is usually tightly integrated.}

GNOME - A desktop environment that aims to be easy to use.
KDE - A desktop environment that traditionally offers more eye-candy out-of-the-box than others.
Cinnamon - Designed to feel like GNOME 2, but build off of GNOME 3 technology.
MATE - A fork of GNOME 2. Aims to offer a more traditional desktop experience.
Unity - Aims to bring simplicity, power, and integration into a desktop.

Less Complete/lightweight
^{Uses up less resources and isn't as tightly integrated. Individual components can be replaced easier.}

Xfce - Designed to be fast and low on resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly. Comparable to GNOME 2 and MATE.
LXDE - Very lightweight and fast. Not tightly integrated, and components are easily replaceable.






More advanced GNU/Linux users tend to use WM's, or Window Managers, in place of Desktop Environments.

Tiling
^{Unlike stacking WM's, tiling WM's tend to organize windows onto the screen into non-overlapping tiles. Here is a Wikipedia article with more information.}

Awesome - Aims to be extremely small and fast. Highly customizable using Lua.
DWM - Dynamic and minimalistic tiling WM.

Stacking
^{More traditional, coordinate-based and able to overlap other windows.}

Compiz - Turns your desktop into a 3D cube while windows jiggle around on your screen. Extremely pretty, not very lightweight.
Openbox - Highly configurable and lightweight window manager.
Window Maker - Aims to reproduce the look and feel of NeXTSTEP. Also used for GNUstep.







Wiki's
ArchWiki - Useful information for Arch Linux and derivatives.
Ubuntu Wiki - Useful information for Ubuntu.
Debian Wiki - Useful information for Debian and derivatives.
Gentoo Wiki - Useful information for Gentoo.

News/Updates
DistroWatch - A large, up-to-date list of distributions and news relating to them.
Phoronix - Hardware reviews, software news and benchmarking.
LWN.net - Linux and free software related news.





More info to come soon, feel free to contribute anything that fits with this topic.

5

Off Topic / Alright "bronies", listen up. (Day 2)

« on: July 06, 2011, 09:10:02 AM »

Okay everybody, listen up, I spent an hour typing this, I expect it to be read.


I've about had it with the MLP fanbase that's decided to reside on the Blockland forums. There are a few of you who aren't bad and keep the like of the show to yourself, but a lot of you are just loving ridiculous, you know that? Here's four points proving this.

Point #1: The Two MLP Topics
I've mentioned this several times, and I'll mention it several more times. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen out of it all. The first topic had 999 pages, and the second one is nearing almost 250. Do some quick math, and that's 1249 pages. The first topic had 14,973 posts, while the second has 3,712 at the time of typing this. That's a total of 18,685 posts. Now, you're asking me what the big deal about this is probably. The issue is this: there is not that much to loving talk about. I mean seriously, not even Portal 2 has that much to talk about, weighing in at 322 pages with 4,815 posts at the time of typing this. Do you see what's wrong here? A show with currently 26 episodes aired according to Wikipedia does not need 1249 pages. Compare that to a highly popular anime, and you'll notice that there just isn't that much to talk about. It gets up to maybe 10-20 pages at most before it ends up dying, but somehow you manage to create over 1249 pages over a TV show, featuring bright blue and pink ponies, meant for little girls. It's really not necessary. What's even worse about this is that there has been supposed “Rule 34” posted in the MLP topic. Now, I do understand that this isn't the general fanbase, but to the people who post that stuff and actually enjoy pictures like that: you are the loving worst type of furry (yes that crosses the border of furcigaretteism) out there and should therefore kill yourself immediately.

Point #2: Avatars
This is one of the biggest issues I have with the MLP fanbase here as well. Now, wait. Before you go at me saying “BUT YOU BLOCK THEM WITH ADBLOCK SO IT'S NOT ANNOYING!!!11!”, I'll tell you that I try to keep them blocked, but the problem is on the fanbase side. They decide that they need to change their avatar every friggin' day to reflect that they like the show, and some of them even flip out and start deliberately changing their avatar to the same picture every 5 minutes once they find out that someone somewhere is blocking their avatar from showing up on their computer. Now you're probably going to be all like “IT SHOULDN'T AFFECT YOU BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME IMAGE!”, well, it does. When you upload a new avatar to SMF, it uploads it in the form of an attachment with a unique identification number. So, every time you upload the same avatar, the old copy gets erased off of the database and is replaced with the new one, circumventing any people who might've used Adblock to prevent their avatars from showing up. I also know people are going to be all like “WELL JUST DEAL WITH IT”, but let me give you an example as to why it's so difficult to do so: Let's say multiple people become a fan of this ridiculously obese guy who barely wears any clothing. There are normal people who would just rather not see this obese guy and his equally-obese friends in avatar form, and would therefore block it. However, they decide that they want to change their avatar every other day to reflect their fandom of this obese guy, as others figure out that their obese-guy avatars are getting blocked by others, so they decide to start changing theirs to the same avatar every five minutes. Same issue with MLP. I (and multiple other people as well) don't want to see your MLP avatars because we dislike it, and you keep trying to circumvent our Adblock filters. It gets ridiculously annoying ridiculously fast, and we shouldn't have to do it every friggin' couple of hours.

Point #3: Friendship Isn't Magic, You Dumb forgets
This is quite hypocritical of most of the MLP fanbase. They watch a show that clearly states “Friendship is Magic”, and yet they're some of the biggest asses out on the forum today. Changing avatars, posting pictures of MLP outside of the MLP topic (albeit this happens rarely, but it does happen), and continuing to be an ass to everybody who wants to not have to look at something from a show directed at 10 year old girls. That's not friendship, that is, yet again, being an ass.

Point #4: Why Here?
This is what I don't get either. Most of the MLP fanbase on these forums are posting on a forum meant for the game Blockland. While I understand that a few of the fans have actually bought the game, there are those that literally signed up just for the MLP topic, seriously. So, how much sense does that make? The Blockland Forums isn't the “MLP fanbase”, it's the Blockland Forums. Treat it that way. Plus, there are literally other places you could go to post all you want about your love for MLP, it doesn't take much effort to find at all, and this really isn't the best place for you guys, much like how this isn't the best place for fans of anime, which is why I barely post about anime-related stuff here. I do it somewhere else that's actually meant for it. What I'm also saying is, if you were to migrate to a forum that was actually meant for MLP fandom, nobody would bother you, you wouldn't bother us, and we'd all finally move on with our lives peacefully and both parties would be over this ridiculousness already.

Conclusion
I've just about had it with the Blockland Forums turning into the “MLP fanbase”. Out of the total time that I've been here (6 years), I've seen a lot of idiocy, been part of the idiocy, and am even an idiot still to this day, but this has topped any of that idiocy by hundreds of miles. While I really wish Badspot or one of the forum moderators would step in and do something about this already, they haven't, and I think it's about time they did already, seeing as how I bet it's not making them too happy either. This has been going on for too long, it's time for it to stop.


That's all I have to say. If you've actually bothered to read this and will at least make an attempt to stop being an idiot, props to you. If not, then you're just helping prove my points.


Current proposal

Okay, so here is my current proposal to the "bronies" to anybody who missed it:
zookuw locks the thread and they don't make any other threads, they can even keep their avatars, and I'll call it even, call it a day and lock this thread.

He's currently stated that "if he locks it, someone will just make another one", and I told him to at least try to lock it and see what happens. He hasn't responded since.

I encourage petitioning zookuw to lock the thread, however I don't encourage spamming in order to do so. Be formal.

We're on day two of this now. I didn't want to have to get it past one day, but the "bronies" are being ignorant and won't try moving their MLP-related stuff to a forum dedicated for that, using this forum for non-MLP stuff.

6

Off Topic / I need a new antivirus. Suggest me one.

« on: July 02, 2011, 10:39:34 AM »

Recently, my PC's been giving me things at random saying "An unauthorized change has been made to Windows", and it always happened if I logged in too fast, or if I tried to run the WGA Diagnostics tool, which would first pop up "Genuine", but then show "Invalid License" until I restarted.

Not a big deal because I know for a fact that my copy of Windows is legal and it didn't bug me that it thought it wasn't genuine, but it wouldn't let me access the control panel. So, I tracked down what was causing it, and it lead straight to Avast. I uninstalled it, and sure enough, problem solved. It was good using you Avast, too back you suck now.

Anyway, I need a new antivirus, as I'm currently without one. It has to be free, don't suggest Norton or McAfee or I will laugh at your stupidity, and it has to work well. Give me suggestions.

7

Games / "First amendment FTW!" States cannot ban minors from buying violent video games

« on: June 28, 2011, 03:23:05 AM »

This caught my eye on Steam's store page, when I clicked on it, it led to this PDF file from supremecourt.gov.

States can no longer ban the sale of violent video games to minors, the court says - Marietta Times

What do you think about this? Let's get a discussion going.

8

Off Topic / The iOS Jailbreaking/Android Rooting Megathread

« on: June 23, 2011, 11:13:06 PM »

This is a thread for both Android "rooting" and iOS "jailbreaking", why you should do it, how to do it, apps exclusive to root/jailbreakers, as well as a place to show off your rooted/jailbroken device. We had a previous thread about this a while back, but I decided that we need a newer thread with more information from someone who's used both iOS and Android quite extensively.
Disclaimers!
First off, I'm not responsible for anything you do, this is simply a tutorial. I won't be held liable for if you brick your device while doing this.
Why you should jailbreak
On iOS, you're limited to things only approved by Apple, on their "App Store". Outside of that, you cannot run anything that requires manual access to the filesystem (for example, installing and playing Doom or any emulator). There's only one way to access the entire filesystem, and it requires becoming the root user. After you jailbreak, you get an app called Cydia, which is a third party app store. This allows you to install stuff that lets you modify your own device, and the possibilities are pretty wide after that. You can apply custom themes, remove system applications that you never use, make your iOS device unique and not like the rest.

On Android, you're not nearly as limited. You can install applications outside of the Android Market by default, install different home screens, and much, much more. However, there's still a perfectly good reason to root your device: custom Android ROMs. Most devices you get from carriers have unremovable bloatware (apps you don't want) or the ROM isn't fully optimized. There are plenty of ROMs made from the base of Android (referred to as Android Open Source Project ROMS or AOSP ROMS) that give you much more performance with a stock Android experience. On top of that, you can also use your device to wirelessly tether your laptop, something that can't be done without root. And again, you can apply custom themes, modify your filesystem, all of that.
How to jailbreak/root
For iOS, you'll want to use the utility called redsn0w. It is compatible with all iOS devices that have been out on the market (except for the iPad 2G). Beware, on iOS, when Apple releases a new update, DO NOT UPDATE IMMEDIATELY. You will have to wait for a new jailbreak to be developed for that version of iOS, as Apple will try to patch it up.

For Android devices, it varies depending on what version of Android you're on, and sometimes what device.
For devices running Android 2.1, it seems to be completely dependent on what kind of phone you have. I can't find any info on an "all-in-one" way to root 2.1.
For devices running Android 2.2, you'll have to download and run the application "Z4Root" on your phone.
For devices running Android 2.3.3, you'll need to download and run the application "GingerBreak" on your phone. (You might need an XDA Developers account to download that file).
Things exclusive to jailbroken iOS users:
WinterBoard, an app that can theme iOS (Cydia)
MobileTerminal, for terminal access (Cydia)
Glasklart, a transparent theme for WinerBoard (Cydia)
iOS4 Features (iPod Touch 2G only, Cydia)
SBFlasher (Cydia)
(help expand this list by suggesting stuff)

Cydia repositories
http://phajas.xen.prgmr.com/repo/

Things exclusive to rooted Android users:
CyanogenMod, a custom, highly customizable and feature-packed AOSP ROM
ROM Manager
Wireless Tether for Root Users (Android 2.2 only)
AndroSS, an easy utility for device screenshots
(help expand this list by suggesting stuff)
Your turn
Show off your jailbroken/rooted device (don't forget to include screenshots and device info like specs and what ROM you're using), suggest things for both jailbroken iOS and rooted Android, and ask questions about jailbreaking/rooting.

9

Off Topic / Lulzsec targets Arizona Law Enforcement

« on: June 23, 2011, 07:41:58 PM »

From their website:

##################### CHINGA LA MIGRA BULLETIN #1 6/23/2011 ####################

We are releasing hundreds of private intelligence bulletins, training manuals,
personal email correspondence, names, phone numbers, addresses and passwords
belonging to Arizona law enforcement. We are targeting AZDPS specifically
because we are against SB1070 and the racial profiling anti-immigrant police
state that is Arizona.

The documents classified as "law enforcement sensitive", "not for public
distribution", and "for official use only" are primarily related to border
patrol and counter-terrorism operations and describe the use of informants to
infiltrate various gangs, cartels, motorcycle clubs, national socialist groups, and protest
movements.

Every week we plan on releasing more classified documents and embarassing
personal details of military and law enforcement in an effort not just to reveal
their tribal and corrupt nature but to purposefully sabotage their efforts to
terrorize communities fighting an unjust "war on drugs".

Hackers of the world are uniting and taking direct action against our common
oppressors - the government, corporations, police, and militaries of the world.
See you again real soon! ;D

Well, this is interesting...

10

Off Topic / Squideey is threatening me!

« on: June 22, 2011, 12:58:55 PM »

guys this is serious what should I do
I don't want to be swept out the door

11

Off Topic / How much HDD space do you have left?

« on: June 14, 2011, 05:30:37 AM »

It's 2 AM, I'm bored, so I'm making a topic. Simply put, post how much HDD space you have available.

12

Off Topic / MY COPY OF WINDOWS IS NOT GENUINE ANYMORE.

« on: June 05, 2011, 12:39:13 PM »

I woke up this morning, and was welcomed by "An unauthorized change has been made to Windows". So, I deleted some files off my PC that held the product key, re-entered it again after restarting, had to interact with the damn Product Activation bot over the phone, and now I'm stuck with this on my desktop:



Yet, here, it says otherwise:



So, I'm confused as hell right now, and sort of wondering what I should do at this point. Any suggestions?

Ninjaedit: Because I'm sure people are going to ask, yes this is a fully legal copy of Windows Vista.

13

Off Topic / Is my laptop's GPU dying already?

« on: May 25, 2011, 05:38:29 AM »

So, this has happened two times now, and it started when I let my brother play Portal 2 on it. When I switch over to the nVidia GPU (my laptop has two different GPU's, an Intel one and an nVidia one) and run something 3D, little blue dots appear across the screen and everything freezes. I rebooted it and tried Portal 2 again, it worked just fine afterwards.

Just now, I was messing around with MikuMikuDance, and a little notification came up saying that the driver kernel has stopped responding has recovered (after the screen flashed). Afterward, about a minute later, blue dots across the screen, whole PC frozen, not even the mouse cursor moved. Now it's acting fine again.

So, is my GPU dying? Should I be concerned? Should I do anything about it? Is it just overheating somehow?

I'm just somewhat scared because these are similar signs that previous dying GPUs I've used had.

Also, my laptop is an Alienware M11x with an nVidia GeForce GT335m and an Intel GMA 4500MHD (the Intel GPU hasn't given me trouble though, it's an nVidia issue). It's still under warranty, as it's only about five months old.

14

Off Topic / Oh good god Japan.

« on: May 07, 2011, 04:11:13 AM »

Mind controlled cat ears move to your brain waves

I'm actually somewhat horrified by this.

15

Off Topic / A welcome to my IRL friend.

« on: May 05, 2011, 04:31:20 AM »

MonoGemini

He wants to buy Blockland, and he's probably the one who got me into anime.

So yeah, welcome him I guess.

Also, if you're reading this MonoGemini: don't act like an idiot.